NNLM Reading Club March 2022: Caring for Your Colon

Posted in: #CC/Academic List, #Health Interest List, #Health Sciences List, #Public/K-12 List, Blog

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The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer at age 43 stunned the world. Boseman, a prominent actor who was most known for his role as the ‘Black Panther’, had been secretly battling cancer for four years. His death from colon cancer at such a young age put a spotlight on the fact that colon cancer has been increasingly affecting younger adults over the past decade. (Naik et al., 2021) March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and, in light of this distressing trend, our featured topic is Caring for Your Colon.

Together, we can raise the nation’s awareness about caring for your colon and preventing colon cancer. The NNLM Reading Club has selected three helpful books to start the conversation:

Diagnosed with colon cancer at age 23, author and cancer survivor Molly McMaster Morgoslepov shares her incredible story and her motivation to do everything she can to help raise awareness about the importance of colon cancer screening and preventing colon cancer in One Drop of Rain: Creating a Wave of Colon Cancer Awareness.

Where the Sun Don’t Shine: Surviving Colon Cancer with Humor, Hope and Support is author Barry Frost’s memoir of surviving a Stage IV cancer journey. While he notes each person’s cancer journey is unique, he offers his story to help others find their own path.

Noted playwright Dan O’Brien shares his perspectives on life and living with the dual diagnoses of his wife’s breast cancer quickly followed by his own diagnosis of Stage IV colon cancer through Our Cancers, a collection of insightful and moving poems.

We encourage you to learn more about Caring for Your Colon by reading one of these books and discussing it in your book club. Visit NNLM Reading. Club: Caring for Your Colon to get started.

Naik, H., Johnson, M. D. D., & Johnson, M. R. (2021). Internet Interest in Colon Cancer Following the Death of Chadwick Boseman: Infoveillance Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(6). https://doi.org/10.2196/27052